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The GRAMMYs Are Listening

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From England and Australia to Canada and Paris, current nominees Ed Sheeran, Gotye, Carly Rae Jepsen, and M83 have found that the world is listening
Nick Krewen
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
GRAMMY.com

Whether you're on the West Coast, East Coast, somewhere in the middle, or somewhere far beyond U.S. borders, the GRAMMYs are listening.

More than 80 nominees up for this year's 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards hail from outside U.S. borders, from geographical outposts such as Iceland (Björk) and Singapore (Arun Shenoy), to more frequently sourced locations such as the UK (Mumford & Sons), Sweden (Avicii), Australia (Sia), Mali (Amadou & Mariam), and Canada (Carly Rae Jepsen).

While these artists may differ greatly when it comes to their originating corners of the world, they all have one thing in common: they've gotten the world listen.

Australia's Wally De Backer, better known as current GRAMMY nominee Gotye, initially seemed resigned to remaining a national success Down Under due to his inability to strike a distribution deal for his 2006 album Like Drawing Blood.

"I was disappointed," Gotye says. "I couldn't find a release for Canada and the states. I went looking for an indie label and someone to just help me get it out physically with a little bit of promotion over here, but that didn't happen. Two years after it happened in Australia, I put it out in Europe and Japan and started a little bit of a story over there.

"To tell the truth, I kind of thought it might be the same thing with Making Mirrors, because it came out in Australia in August 2011, and we still hadn't sorted out licensing deals for the world."

Making Mirrors peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and earned nominations for Record Of The Year and Best Pop/Duo Group Performance for "Somebody That I Used To Know" featuring Kimbra, as well as a nomination for Best Alternative Music Album.

"I was quite prepared to put the album out myself, and invest a whole heap of money I'd saved over the last couple of years just working with a distributor and doing all the marketing myself."

Fortunately for Gotye, YouTube opened global doors for the singer/songwriter. The video for "Somebody That I Used To Know" has garnered more than 370 million views to date.

"Because 'Somebody That I Used To Know' took off so crazily on YouTube and so much happened there, opportunities changed quite rapidly," he explains.

But not all opportunities are created through social media.

Although he's only 21, Suffolk, England's Ed Sheeran released a series of albums and EPs in his native country before breaking any ground. In 2010, several months before his breakthrough hit, the Song Of The Year GRAMMY-nominated "The A Team" impressively entered the UK singles chart at No.3 Sheeran fired his management team and booked a flight to Los Angeles "to do a few shows for a guy." One of the shows happened to be at the Foxxhole, a venue owned by GRAMMY winner Jamie Foxx. Foxx subsequently invited Sheeran to use his home studio for free.

"It restored my faith in what I was doing, because until then I was in a rut, playing the same shows for the same people in the same venues in England," Sheeran says.

The same restlessness sparked GRAMMY-nominated dance/electronica project M83 principal Anthony Gonzalez to relocate from Paris to Los Angeles.

"I spent 30 years of my life in France and I just needed a change," Gonzalez said in an interview with the Toronto Star in 2012. "It was a career move as well. L.A. is great for musicians and artists. It has a great music scene [and] a lot of amazing record studios and producers. It was a perfect choice to also experiment and enjoy a different culture. And when I look at the success of this album, I feel like I made the right choice."

Prior to "Midnight City," the breakout hit from their current GRAMMY-nominated album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming., M83 released five albums with a modicum of success. "Midnight City" proved a game changer, garnering placement in commercials and on TV.

"When I was 20–25, I was very cautious about my music being used for commercials and TV shows," Gonzalez noted. "But now, I think it's a great opportunity to reach people who don't listen to music very much and only watch TV, to introduce them to my music."

While streaming services and Internet radio platforms are a big factor in exposing artists and their music to a larger audience, traditional radio still plays a role. If it wasn't for radio and Justin Bieber, Canadian pop star Jepsen may have taken a lot longer to soar to the top with this summer's most infectious hit, "Call Me Maybe."

"It was a bloody miracle," recalls Jepsen, whose song, which is up for Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, was on Canadian radio when Bieber heard it while visiting his mom in his native Stratford, Ontario.

"Apparently, he was washing dishes when it came on the radio. He just stopped what he was doing, and ended up tweeting about it. [He] said he thought it was really catchy. It's as simple as that.

"I don't think he had any real intention of signing me or going any further. I think he was just a nice musician saying something nice to help me out. It ended up really igniting right away. I was No. 11 on iTunes at the time, and he tweeted and we were No. 1 within the day. Not only in Canada but also in countries I had never visited, like Germany and Australia and New Zealand. They were all kind of getting wind of it, and I was getting Twitter followers by the thousands."

Bieber and his manager Scooter Braun subsequently signed Jepsen to their Interscope-distributed School Boy Records label. "Call Me Maybe" spent nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, selling 10 million units worldwide and proving good music knows no boundaries, and the world is always listening.

(Nick Krewen is a Toronto-based journalist who has written for The Toronto Star, TV Guide, Billboard, Country Music and was a consultant for the National Film Board's music industry documentary Dream Machine.)

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Dan Auerbach, Fun., Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons, Frank Ocean, Kanye West Lead 55th GRAMMY Nominations

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The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, Fun., Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons, Frank Ocean, and Kanye West lead diverse field with six GRAMMY nominations each; the Black Keys, Chick Corea and Miguel earn five nominations each
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
GRAMMY.com

Nominations for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced tonight by The Recording Academy and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year, as determined by the voting members of The Academy. For the fifth year, nominations for the annual GRAMMY Awards were announced on primetime television as part of "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night," a one-hour CBS entertainment special broadcast live for the first time ever from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, Fun., Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons, Frank Ocean, and Kanye West top the nominations with six each; the Black Keys, Chick Corea and Miguel each garner five nods; and producer Jeff Bhasker, mastering engineer Bob Ludwig and Nas are each up for four awards.

"The GRAMMY Awards process once again has produced a diverse and impressive list of nominations across multiple genres," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "This year's nominees truly represent an exceptional and vibrant creative community that exemplifies some of the highest levels of artistry and excellence in their respective fields. Combined with the fifth year of our primetime nominations special, we're off to an exciting start on the road to Music's Biggest Night, the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards, on February 10."

Following are the nominations in the General Field categories:

Record Of The Year:
"Lonely Boy" — The Black Keys
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" — Kelly Clarkson
"We Are Young" — Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe
"Somebody That I Used To Know" — Gotye featuring Kimbra
"Thinkin Bout You" — Frank Ocean
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" — Taylor Swift

Album Of The Year:
El Camino — The Black Keys
Some Nights — Fun.
Babel — Mumford & Sons
Channel Orange — Frank Ocean
Blunderbuss — Jack White

Song Of The Year:
"The A Team" — Ed Sheeran, songwriter (Ed Sheeran)
"Adorn" — Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)
"Call Me Maybe" — Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen)
"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" — Jörgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi, songwriters (Kelly Clarkson)
"We Are Young" — Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe)

Best New Artist:
Alabama Shakes
Fun.
Hunter Hayes
The Lumineers
Frank Ocean

Following is a sampling of nominations in the GRAMMY Awards' other 29 Fields:

For Best Pop Solo Performance, the nominees are "Set Fire To The Rain (Live)" by Adele; "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" by Kelly Clarkson; "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen; "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry; and "Where Have You Been" by Rihanna.

The nominees for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance are "Shake It Out" by Florence & The Machine; "We Are Young" by Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe; "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra; "Sexy And I Know It" by LMFAO; and "Payphone" by Maroon 5 & Wiz Khalifa. 

For Best Dance/Electronica Album, the nominees are Wonderland by Steve Aoki; Don't Think by the Chemical Brothers; > Album Title Goes Here by Deadmau5; Fire & Ice by Kaskade; and Bangarang by Skrillex.

The nominees for Best Rock Performance are "Hold On" by Alabama Shakes; "Lonely Boy" by the Black Keys; "Charlie Brown" by Coldplay; "I Will Wait" by Mumford & Sons; and "We Take Care Of Our Own" by Bruce Springsteen.

For Best Alternative Music Album, the nominees are The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do by Fiona Apple; Biophilia by Björk; Making Mirrors by Gotye; Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. by M83; and Bad As Me by Tom Waits. 

The nominees for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration are "Wild Ones" by Flo Rida featuring Sia; "No Church In The Wild" by Jay-Z & Kanye West featuring Frank Ocean & The-Dream; "Tonight (Best You Ever Had)" by John Legend featuring Ludacris; "Cherry Wine" by Nas featuring Amy Winehouse; and "Talk That Talk" by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z.

For Best Country Album, the nominees are Uncaged by Zac Brown Band; Hunter Hayes by Hunter Hayes; Living For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran by Jamey Johnson; Four The Record by Miranda Lambert; and The Time Jumpers by the Time Jumpers.

The nominees for Best Americana Album are The Carpenter by the Avett Brothers; From The Ground Up by John Fullbright; The Lumineers by the Lumineers; Babel by Mumford & Sons; and Slipstream by Bonnie Raitt.

This year's Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical nominations go to Dan Auerbach, Jeff Bhasker, Diplo, Markus Dravs, and Salaam Remi.

This year's GRAMMY Awards process registered more than 17,000 submissions over a 12-month eligibility period (Oct. 1, 2011 – Sept. 30, 2012). GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 19 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Jan. 16, 2013, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the 55th GRAMMY telecast.

The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on GRAMMY Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer and Louis J. Horvitz is director.

For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

News

2013 GRAMMY Nominees Album Now Available

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Collection features 22 smash hits from chart-topping artists such as Adele, the Black Keys, Carly Rae Jepsen, Maroon 5, Mumford & Sons, Frank Ocean, Pink, Taylor Swift, and more
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
GRAMMY.com

Capitol Records and The Recording Academy's GRAMMY Recordings will release the 2013 GRAMMY Nominees album on Jan. 22 and provide music and GRAMMY fans two chances to attend the 55th or the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The album features 22 critically acclaimed smash hits from myriad chart-topping artists from various genres.

The 19th edition of the best-selling collection includes songs from GRAMMY categories representing nominees for Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best New Artist, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Album.

Artists featured on the collection are Adele, Alabama Shakes, the Black Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Coldplay, Florence & The Machine, Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe, Gotye, Hunter Hayes, Carly Rae Jepsen, the Lumineers, Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa, Miguel, Mumford & Sons, Muse, Frank Ocean, Katy Perry, Pink, Ed Sheeran, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, and Jack White.

In conjunction with the 2013 GRAMMY Nominees album, Capitol Records and The Recording Academy will offer two opportunities to attend the annual GRAMMY Awards. First, when pre-ordering the 2013 GRAMMY Nominees album at www.grammy.com/2013grammyalbum by Jan. 21, music fans can enter to win a trip to the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 10. Additionally, providing another chance to win tickets to Music's Biggest Night, each 2013 GRAMMY Nominees album purchased in stores will include a special game piece featuring a unique entry code for the GRAMMY Ticket Game. To participate, the code must be entered at www.grammy.com/2013grammyalbum for the opportunity to win a trip for two to the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2014. The second-place winner will receive other official GRAMMY Awards merchandise.

The album is made possible by a special arrangement with all of the major music distribution companies and rotates labels from year to year. A portion of the proceeds from the album benefit the MusiCares Foundation and the GRAMMY Foundation — two charitable organizations established by The Recording Academy. 

The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held Sunday, Feb. 10 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

For updates and breaking news, visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook. 

Kobe Bryant

Photo: Kirby Lee/WireImage.com

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The Week In Music: Where's The Kobe Bryant We Used To Know?

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Laker fans channel Gotye's hit "Somebody That I Used To Know" for Kobe Bryant parody
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
GRAMMY.com

Los Angeles Lakers fans aren't used to losing, so it's not surprising, given the team's elimination in the second round of the NBA playoffs this year, that the Lakers that we used to know are lamented in a new video. Or, more specifically, the Kobe Bryant that we used to know. Kobye — the team of Dan Rib and Ken Belcher — have parodied the smash Gotye hit "Somebody That I Used To Know" to pretty much pin the Lakers' demise on their biggest star. "You didn't have to hog the ball," they sing, "You're triple teamed so kick it out to either Blake or Sessions/I know they don't shoot so well/but you're really not the Kobe that we used to know." If No. 24 has anything to say about it, it seems he's not going down without a fight. "I'm not fading into the shadows … I'm not going anywhere," said a stubborn Bryant after the Lakers' elimination loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. As the dust settles on another disappointing season, Laker Nation seems to be siding with Kobye. "Give this song thumbs UP the white boy speeks the TRUTH," offered one astute YouTube commenter.

Here's a good tale from the crypt. The vault in which Elvis Presley was first laid to rest before being moved to the grounds of Graceland will be auctioned off during Julien's Auctions Sports Legends and Music Icons sale from June 23–24. It's unclear whether the living will reap any benefits from the purchased lot as it includes the crypt itself, opening and closing of the vault for burial, memorial inscription, and use of a small chapel for a memorial service. If you're not into crypthouse rock, you can also bid on a ripped "Hell" T-shirt worn by the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards; a robe the late Amy Winehouse used in her video for "Rehab"; as well as other clothing worn by David Bowie, Michael Jackson and John Lennon. With the exception of Bowie and Richards, this sounds like a dead man's party.

It seems Ween is being weaned. The alternative band that "Beavis And Butt-Head" loved to hate have called it quits after a more than 25-year run (pretty good, since Butt-Head predicted they had no future). The problem is that only one member of the duo seems to know it's over. Aaron Freeman (aka Gene Ween) told Rolling Stone the band was retiring, but Mickey Melchiondo (Dean Ween) took to his Facebook page to say "This is news to me." Hey, ask any mom: It's tough to wean kids.

Looking for that must-attend summer barbeque for your social calendar? Consider the GWAR-B-Q, a music festival on Aug. 18 in Richmond, Va., offering a "stinking hot, beer and beef-smeared metallic murderfest of unprecedented debauchery." The festival will feature finger-lickin' good performances by such heavyweight artists as the Casualties, Valient Thorr, Occultist, Lionize, and Highness, with GWAR serving as headliners. As if one needed more enticement, the 2012 GWAR-B-Q will mark the return of the Sexecutioner character to the GWAR stage for the first time in 12 years. "I can't tell you how ecstatic I am to once again be engaging in acts of necro-bestial delight with my old buddy, the Sexecutioner," said GWAR lead vocalist Oderus Urungus. Proving this is one metal event worth its bite, a portion of ticket proceeds will benefit Richmond's Ring Dog Rescue.

Here at TWIM we're as devastated as you over the breakup of DJ Afrojack and pop star heiress Paris Hilton. Well, we're devastated now, but we weren't even aware the two were an item, which apparently they weren't, sort of. As the story goes, the two hooked up while Afrojack was producing tracks for Hilton's upcoming album, and he even moved into her house. But according to a RadarOnline report, Afrojack was just looking for some fun, not exclusivity. A source says Hilton is also working with Flo Rida, David Guetta and LMFAO on the album, so even if she doesn't find love with one of them, with Afrojack gone, maybe party rock will be in her house tonight. Leave your condolences messages below.

Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" featuring Kimbra is tops on the Billboard Hot 100 and Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" is No. 1 on the iTunes singles chart.

Any news we've missed? Comment below.                                                            

For the latest GRAMMY news, visit us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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Dan Auerbach And The Black Keys, Gotye, Jay-Z, Skrillex, And Kanye West Top The 55th GRAMMYs

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Music's Biggest Night celebrates music's deep impact on our culture
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm
GRAMMY.com

"Best GRAMMYs ever? Best GRAMMYs ever," said Justin Timberlake in an unscripted moment, answering his own question. Only time will tell if his assessment is right, but Music's Biggest Night certainly lived up to its name.

Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys emerged the big winner at the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards taking home four GRAMMYs, including Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical, plus three with bandmate Patrick Carney for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for "Lonely Boy" and Best Rock Album for El Camino.

Several artists won three: Jay-Z and Kanye West (Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for "N****s In Paris," and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "No Church In The Wild"); Skrillex (Best Dance/Electronica Album for Bangarang and Best Dance Recording for its title track, and Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for Nero's "Promises"); and Gotye, who won Record Of The Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Somebody That I Used To Know" (featuring Kimbra), and Best Alternative Music Album for Making Mirrors. Fun. won for Best New Artist and Song Of The Year for "We Are Young," while English folk-rockers Mumford & Sons won Album Of The Year for Babel.

The show celebrated the best in contemporary music while acknowledging its history and bloodlines.

The program's In Memoriam segment included nods to Bob Marley, Dave Brubeck and Levon Helm, and gestures such as Colombian pop-rocker Juanes acknowledging his debt to Elton John by singing an acoustic, and bilingual, version of "My Song," and Kelly Clarkson paying tribute to Lifetime Achievement Award honorees Patti Page and Carole King.

The night also included such noteworthy moments as Justin Timberlake's return to live TV music performance, teaming with Jay-Z for his new "Suite & Tie," John joining with his management client Ed Sheeran, and LL Cool J, Tom Morello, DJ Z-Trip, Travis Barker, and Chuck D teaming with LL Cool J for his "Whaddup."

In the end, it was another spectacular night of GRAMMY moments and high-profile recognition of music's deep impact on our culture.